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2013.06.02 - X-men and the Starjammer
The stars streak by, pinpoints turned into ribbons of light as the Starjammer powers across the galaxy from the little backwater of Earth to the heart of the Shi'ar empire. For what it is, the Starjammer is a luxury of space. For those used to living planetside, the quarters seem tight and cramped. Clearly no longer new by any stretch of the imagination and well-used, the ship's interior makes one think more Millennium Falcon than Enterprise but given this is the home of pirates, that's probably appropriate. Luckily the ship's AI, Waldo, is able to handle most of the ship's piloting given only Deathbird knows how to fly the thing so currently the group is arrayed around a circular table-like command center. The purple-plumed alien leans heavily onto her palms that rest on the table's edge. In the center, a holographic display shows their position and their target. "According to what Waldo's been able to piece together, this is our target." Said target is a starship that's a good five times larger than their own and just screams 'warship'. "This is our last chance before they split up the crew. We can't manage an extended firefight with that Dreadnaught, though." She looks around the table at the others for suggestions. "If we're looking for a docking point, I'd suggest under the belly of their ship where there looks to be the least amount of gun sentries," Cyclops says, still very much getting used to this idea of a space station. Aliens aren't a new phenomenon to him, he'd happened to date one earlier this year. But being on a starship, hurtling through space, was very disconcerting. "If you're hoping on a more secretive approach, perhaps Nightcrawler can help us out." Cyclops seems to look over at Kurt, wondering if he'd be up to the task. Space missions are somewhat out and above Nate's experience. But well, he suspect this is a problem of all the X-Men, the obvious tactic would be taking the fight to familiar terrain, which means up and close. "Yeah, can we get on board of that ship in some way? Maybe Nightcrawler teleporting" Not being part of the core X-Men team his presence in this mission is surprising. But well, it is kind of family business. Personal. It is complicated, okay?! "They will see our ship no matter what, da?" Piotr asks, studying the holographic display. "So there will be no secrecy. But if we have schematics of the ship, then Nightcrawler could put each of us where we will have the best effect." Using Kurt's abilities as transportation is just second nature to the X-Men. Kurt is an attentive elf, to say the least. The moment he gains entry to the ship is the moment he begins to bamf around, checking out every nook and cranny.. and in a way, checking to see what his bamfs are like in space.. well, at least within the confines of a ship in space. Now settled around the table, he's got his pirate hat set at a rakish angle, and he's perched on his seat. Leaning forward, he offers Scott an encouraging smile. He's game for anything. "If I had the schematics of the other ship, I could try und take out their sensors," comes more as a consideration. A voiced thought. The smile grows, showing fangs, those yellow eyes glowing with the thought of doing something new. "I'd be good for it. Never tried a space bamf before." Glancing at Nate, he nods and thrusts a thumb in his direction, "Or that. I've got a good distance for bamfing.." The only thing that has Jean leary about this whole being in space thing is that the last time she was ended up spending a good portion of time trapped in a healing cocoon beneath the bay on account of radiation burns. Of course, on the bright side, she knows exactly where the limits on her TK are, when it comes to filtering that sort of thing out, now. Not so bright side? She doesn't have the Phoenix power to augment her, any more, so her limits now are pretty much the same as they were then -- which is to say, limited. Frankly, though, from what she can tell... using the Bamf Express may indeed be the quickest and (comparatively) quietest way in. Providing he knows where he's going. "If I can scan the one or two of the minds of the crew, I can get us the schematics you want, Kurt." Hell, she could get him, quite literally, an eyes-on view in real time. "I might, for that matter, be able to get one of them to override the sensors and throw a spanner into the works." (Spanners are in space. Wrenches are on Earth. Every good sci-fi fan knows that. :P) Deathbird's head moves in small, sharp movements to each as they speak. Given the all-white eyes, it's the best way to be sure she's looking at any one individual. Taloned fingertips tap the console thoughtfully as she listens with the occasional quick dip of her head in that birdlike nod. "Quieter is better." She says, with a sort of begruding air. She's a warrior that prefers up-front fights, but she's learned sometimes you need to take the sneakier path. She works on putting together all of the information before suggesting, "If we get you aboard, I can distract them. You're all unknown factors and they want me badly enough to focus their attention there. Get in, Get Corsair and the others, and then we get out. I don't think we'd be able to take all of their sensors down long enough to go that route." Cyclops bites lightly at his lips as he ponders a plan. "If we have any idea at the range of their scanners, we could perhaps do this: Send ourselves with a quick, high powered blast towards their location. From there, we turn off all the power in the ship. While they're busy scanning, we have Nightcrawler teleport us onto the ship. By the time the ship gets close enough for them to capture, we'll already be on board. From there, we search for my father and return to the ship." He furrows his brow a bit with some frustration. "But that would be the tricky part. Getting out. Chances are they'd have the ship stowed. At that point, I think that's where Phoenix would come in. A distraction to help us get away." Nate can do quiet, but he prefers direct action too, so he has to ask, "how many warriors carries that ship? Could we take over it? Or disable it." That would solve the fleeing problem, wouldn't it? Piotr looks to Scott since he's the team leader here. "Or, once we are in range, Kurt puts you and Jean in the engine room where you make sure they cannot chase us. Nate and I will do the same on the bridge and Kurt can rescue the prisoners. They will not be prepared to be boarded or for us to just appear out of nowhere." "I would like that, Jean. The darker the area, the better," of course. But Jean knows that, as do the others! Kurt's grin grows, and he bobs his head in his nod, his tail snaking out to twitch with pleasure. "Und if you could get someone to accidentally flip a switch?" Even better. "Does Corsair know we are coming?" The question is asked, though.. he does glance at Jean again, his brows raised. "If you distract them, fraulein, won't you be in danger of being taken yourself? Und if you are in an area I don't know, it will be a few moments before I can get a bead on you to get you out." Piotr's point is taken, and he looks to his Russian friend, that gleam of adventure in those glowing eyes of his. "As long as I know where I am going, I can put you anywhere, und take you out." Kurt barks a laugh, and nods, his three-fingered hands entwining. "Und there is the beauty of the bamf." "It's a dreadnought," Jean says, glancing to Nate. "Even between the two of us, I don't want to risk trying to control that many minds at once." Alien minds are harder to relate to than human, usually. (But, not always.) "Reading them, though, looking through their eyes? That's easier." Less intrusive, which means less of a fight. She smiles a small sharp smile at Piotr, however. "That, however, could work. We can shut down the power systems while you lock down the bridge and override the defenses." She glances to Kurt, now. "Let me set up a telepathic link between all of us --" standard operating procedure, that-- "and together we should be able to pinpoint hotspots almost instantly." Or at least at the speed of thought." "They know they're carrying high-profile prisoners. They're likely to fire instead of bring us aboard." Deathbird points out. A shake of her head is given to Nightcrawler. "No. I'm the only one that escaped, and it would be suicide to try a rescue attempt alone." Hence why she went for the longshot. Taptaptap goes that taloned finger, leaving pockmarks in the smooth metal surface. "But... perhaps it would give us our opening, getting us close enough for Nightcrawler to get you aboard." She nods over to Piotr's suggestion. "Between an attack on the bridge and the engines, I should be able to avoid capture and... what is it Corsair likes to say? 'Keep the engines running'. Because they will still try to capture me, splitting their attention further." Sometimes you can make being that big of an Empire's Most Wanted an asset! She gives another glance around, to see if anyone's come up with any major flaws in the quick plan. Cyclops looks over to Piotr, "I must admit I am a bit apprehensive to have us all splitting up. The only one of us who has experience with this sort of machinery is Miss Neramani. Splitting us up as you've mentioned might be more comprehensive, but I'm concerned that it lessens the success rate of each of the different arms of the plan." "But as long as we have a mind-link, we will know what we have to do," replies Nate. "On the other hand if Phoenix or Nightcrawler get taken out, we will be in trouble. Maybe we should remain together," he suggests. Piotr actually grins over at Cyclops. "But Scott, we all have experience in breaking machinery which is the only thing that matters. You and Jean will destroy as many engines and controls as possible. Nate and I will destroy the bridge. With the crew rushing to two different parts of the ship, Kurt will have fewer guards to deal with when he rescues your father and his friends. With Jean linking us, we will know if the other team needs help and Kurt can bring it." He does consider what Nate says then adds "If they capture or destroy this ship, nothing we do will matter. We will be a diversion not just for Kurt but also for our ship." "Then we be sure that each team has.. well, backup. Me und Colossus. Jean und you, Scott." Or the other way around. As for Nate, however.. he's certainly not well known to the blue bamfer, so.. no clue what it is he brings to the table, as it were. "We've all worked together in small teams well before now. Und, we all have a way out, a way to retreat to a better position. With the mind link it is.. easy peasy." Shaking his head, Kurt's smile remains easy. "How can they keep me, mein freund? They don't know who or what I am. Or what I can do." A little cocky, but with good reason. "I would fear more for the loss of Colossus or Cyclops as they have nothing to fall back upon." And there, there it is. That which Nate can do, and Kurt takes the brief change of plans easily. Or rather, the additional information. He rolls back on his feet, still perched, and the smile broadens again, "I can do this." Beat. "We can do this. Do not second guess yourselves, meinen freunden.. because that leads to failure." "Piotr's right," Jean suggests to Cyclops. "You and I, Nate and Piotr. Nate and I can each lift the information we need from the minds people around us. That will negate the problems with translating their technology. You and Piotr can each provide persuasive muscle to ensure we're not unduly molested as we start disabling systems." Or, yes, they can just blow things up to hell and back. She prefers disabling. Less likelihood of explosive decompression in the compartment she's actually standing in. As for Kurt? Well, no one's as good at staying out of harm's way as the Bamfer. Nonetheless, she does glance at him. "We'll stay in telepathic contact so I can help guide you where you need to go." Much as the professor used to do for all of them. "I'm tougher to take down than you might think," she smiles tightly to Nate. Now, to Deathbird, "How long can you reasonably keep them busy?" Deathbird gives Jean a grim smile. "As long as you need." She sobers quickly, though. "Hard to tell. Especially without the rest of the crew but I've been known to lead them on a merry chase." She's one hell of a pilot. She glances upwards. "Waldo. Prepare for drift with immediate engine burn on my mark." The holograph on the table clicks off and she heads for the pilot's chair. "Get ready." Drifting dead is one of the most nervewracking things in a space ship. There's not that comforting humm of electronics, letting you know that life support is working. Nothing to fend off the cold, dark silence of space. The Starjammer does a slow, aimless tumble towards the Dreadnaught. Deathbird is strapped in, watching the ship get larger and larger. Waldo's tinny voice, the AI running on backup power is a sharp break in the silence. "We are being scanned." The Shi'ar woman looks over towards the others. "That's your cue." Her hand hovers over the controls to restart the engines cold. It's hard on the ship. Not something you should try at home, kids. Waldo's emotionless voice sounds again. "We are being targeted." Cyclops turns to look at Jean for a long time, but says nothing. It's clear that this decision doesn't sit well with him, but he appears to bury it. Instead, he says nothing, waiting until Nightcrawler springs into action. When Waldo's voice comes across the coms, Scott raises an eyebrow. "Sounds like we should make this pretty speedy." Nate concentrates to scan the alien ship. Alien minds are tricky, as Jean said, but the Shi'ar are very similar to humans, so it should be possible. "I am ready," he states, looking at the blue elf for that teleporting thing. He has never teleported with Kurt, so he has no idea of how fun it is. "Nate and I first." Piotr says. "Our appearance on the bridge will keep them from firing." He stands but doesn't turn to metal yet so Kurt doesn't need to strain. "I will be first." The transformation is almost instantaneous and that's going to be the first thing he does when they appear. Yeah. Jean has the distinct feeling she'll get an earful from Scott later. Ah, well. One more thing to add to the list. The moment the engines are first killed, however, Jean's eyes are closed in concentration, her awareness sweeping across space to the dreadnought, looking for the right mind to invade. There are individuals all over the ship with enough technical knowledge of the schematics. She draws their knowledge out and establishes a close link with Kurt so that he can share that knowledge as she gets it. It quickly indicates first the layout of the bridge -- and that one opportune corner that will be ideal for a sneak attack -- and then the layout of engineering -- where there's a similar spot on a catwalk overhead. Finally, she reaches out to bring all the X-Men's minds together, including Deathbird, so that the situational awareness is complete. There is, because of the energy this uses, the faintest lick of fiery aura around her body, but everything's entirely under her control. "Go, Kurt," she tells the teleporter, once all is in readiness and the dreadnought begins taking aim. "They won't see us coming." Kurt gets up from his spot around the table and leaps onto the ceiling so he doesn't have to climb over anyone, and moves along there to the front of the cabin, by the viewer screen. His tail swishes again, and his attention is firmly held by the dreadnought before them. Turning back around when his friends and teammates declare that they are, indeed, ready, he drops from the ceiling, and lands between Nate and Colossus. "I usually tell people to take a deep breath," he looks at Nate now. "It's to give them something else to concern themselves with instead of thinking about what the hell is going on.. und how." The touch of Jean's mind is something he hasn't felt for quite some time.. and in thought, rather than deed, he offers a mental, toothy smile and a finger-wiggled wave. "Now, ja.." and he looks to the two, "We go. All aboard the bamf-express!" To the others waiting, Kurt offers a grin, his tail swishing in anticipation, "Back in one shake of a demon's tail.." *bamf* *bamf* The arrival of the trio on the bridge would normally get quite a reaction. But Jean is shielding them. The bridge is huge, given that this is a full-scale warship. On the bridge, a large figure with purple skin and a mohawk stands with arms crossed. A red cape rises in a high collar, sweeping the floor as his arms are crossed over his chest. At nearly seven feet in height, he cuts an impressive figure. To his left stands a diminuative figure. She has purple hair and blue skin and her eyes flare blue-white. "Someone's here." Her head slowly turns towards toward where the X-Men stand and Nate can feel the flare of a telepath's power. Nightcrawler of course is gone a moment later, back on the Starjammer's bridge. "They are opening fire." Waldo's voice says dispassionately. "GO!" Deathbird says as she slams the engine ignition. Jean, Cyclops and Nightcrawler bamf out just as the Starjammer leaps forward, explosions rocking the spot it was in a moment earlier. The engine room is the size of a small building, the pulse of the engines a constant throb that you can feel down to your bones. There is a small army of technicans here, making sure everything runs to exacting specifications. There's still the prisoners, down in the brig and under heavy guard. Corsair, Ch'od, Hepzibah and Raza. Once they arrive in the engine room and are somewhat alone (aside from Kurt, but whoever counts Kurt anyways?) Cyclops turns to Jean with a low voice, thick on sarcasm. "Thanks for your help, back there. Took you 10 years, but you finally decided to take over." He nods his head towards the large engines. "I'll get those, if you want to take the technicians. I mean, if that's okay by you, of course." No one told Nate getting teleported by Nightcrawler would be so disorienting. He grunts and falls to one knee, struggling to clear the dizziness and noticing something else, worrisome. <> Because Nate is like a bonfire for other telepaths, he can't be stealthy in the psychic plane. Piotr shifts into metal even before Kurt has bamfed out and moves off to one away from Nate. He does give the man a concerned look but trusts he'll recover quick from the experience. Sometimes he forgets not everyone has trained with Nightcrawler. That the woman knows they're there is somewhat alarming but they couldn't have remained unknown long. Especially as Colossus slams his fist into the nearest console. That should give Nate a moment to recover. Aaaaaaand, '''there' it is...'' Wow. New record. Scott didn't even wait until they were safe at home. "Oh, don't even start!" Jean retorts. "You could have pulled rank, if you'd wanted to. You've never been shy about it before." Then, however, it's back to business. She telegraphs the location of the brig and its inhabitants to 'Crawler and turns her attention to the engineering crew. "By all means," she says, flipping a hand at Scott (the whole hand and not just a single gesture). "Don't let me stop you." She then stretches out her hand to telekinetically collect the unsuspecting technicans and throw them hard against the nearest bulkhead. Nate's heads-up, however, isn't good. << I can't extend my shields any farther,>> she tells him. <> Well. Technically, she could assist him in doing that. But she'd hate to leave Scott to deal with everyone in engineering on his own. Really... Kurt is good, very good, at duck and cover. He's got a lifetime of experience in it. This time, however, his grin remains in place. All is well when mother and father are fighting. But, his part in everything is only starting, just like the others. Offering a jaunty salute that keeps in line with the pirate outfit Nightcrawler's chosen for the occasion. He has two swords hanging at his side now, and one is pulled out by his tail, the tip enwrapping the pommel. Given the coordinates, the Amazing Blue Bamfer is off in a cloud of smoke.. a cloud of brimstone, landing on the ceiling of the brig. It's true.. the sound of-- *bamf* --does catch the attention of a couple of the guards. Of course. How often does one get a whiff of rotten eggs? Dropping down on top of one, now, Kurt plants booted feet on the small of the guard's back and flips backwards.. hard.. flipping the guard into the wall before, in the blink of an eye, he's gone.. and on top of the second before an alarm can be pulled.. and it's a leg-swing to take him down, and a *bamf* only to reappear atop.. and land hard on the downed guard's solar plexis. OW. Sparks fly, and people jump as the pair on the bridge are suddenly revealed to everyone around. The large, purple-skinned man turns, eyes flaring yellow. His arms drop down to his sides as he levitates upwards and then he's moving at breathtaking speed for Colossus. Leading with a fist. The big Russian has worked with Superman. This is going to feel familiar. The small alien woman has her attention fixed on Nate, and this is no minor telepath. This is the best the Shi'ar empire has to offer. She doesn't speak. She doesn't need to as she starts trying to rip through his shields to the mind within. This means that many of those on the bridge can still control the ship, one of the officers calling out, "That's the Starjammer... It's Deathbird! Bring her down!" In the background there is the CHOOM! CHOOM! CHOOM! of heavy cannons opening fire. The technicians below never know what hit them. Face? Meet wall. The sliiiide down to fall in a heap at the floor. No one puts real guards on the engine room. That's why they put it deep in the interior of the ship! There is however, someone that just happens to be down here, as he was actually interest in the engine. A green-skinned man looks over as the technicians are hurtled away and a force-shield snaps into place. "The engines are under attack." He says in a far-too-calm voice. "Initiate lockdown sequence." Heavy blast doors slam closed, sectioning off the parts of the engine room and sadly for Jean, he has no mind to grab hold of. Not really, anyhow. He's more machine than man. "Vent atmopshere of this compartment." There's the hiss as it starts to decompress. With the technicians still in the room. As Nightcrawler takes out a pair of the guards, he hears a voice call, "Look out!" Just as electricity crackles by him. A red-skinned, blonde alien woman with a whip in hand gives him a sharp-toothed grin a she wields the whip like a living thing. It arcs forward again, reaching for him with hungry fingers. "Well that's a problem," Cyclops says as the atmosphere starts spilling out of the ship as the enemies throw a kink in the works. "Jean, get Nightcrawler. We're going to need a lift sooner than later." Unable to take time, aim, or any of that good stuff, Cyclops unleashes a swinging optic blast towards the engine room in a large, full blast arc as he tries to take them out in one big swerving attack. Nate tries to raise a telekinetic barrier in the way of the purple alien, but the sudden telepathic assault spoils his concentration. Instead he is forced to reinforce his mental shields, which were quickly crumbling under the alien telepath's assault. Nate Grey says, "Alright, but no, I don't have time for this," he grumbles. His left eye flares with golden light and he waves his hand, ripping the console of the screaming officer from the ship's floor telekinetically (with a bit of luck, he is the captain) and tossing it to the telepathic woman. Telepathic 'knife', meet telekinetic 'handgun'. It is not fair to do that to a fellow telepath, but war is war." Nate tries to raise a telekinetic barrier in the way of the purple alien, but the sudden telepathic assault spoils his concentration. Instead he is forced to reinforce his mental shields, which were quickly crumbling under the alien telepath's assault. "Alright, but no, I don't have time for this," he grumbles. His left eye flares with golden light and he waves his hand, ripping the console of the screaming officer from the ship's floor telekinetically (with a bit of luck, he is the captain) and tossing it to the telepathic woman. Telepathic 'knife', meet telekinetic 'handgun'. It is not fair to do that to a fellow telepath, but war is war. Piotr wasn't really expecting metahumans. Did they mention metahumans? Aliens, yes. Blue skinned Superman wannabes, no. So he wasn't really prepared for anyone to /fly/ at him and hit him that hard. He goes flying - ballistic not powered - into more consoles and the crewmembers maning them. Which accomplishes exactly what they wanted really just under different circumstances. << We've got metahumans up here. >> he advises the others telepathically as he stands back up. As atmosphere begins to hiss from the room, Jean throws up TK shields to block the escape of oxygen. Her eyes flare with golden flame and her aura lights up. She sends a telepathic command through to the minds of the other aliens in the room, her goal to cause them to fall into unconsciousness so that she doesn't have to worry about them while the rest of this goes down. "Green skin doesn't have an organic mind," she tells Cyke, getting her Phoenix on as she does. "I can't touch him telepathically." But she she continues to maintain the air (and air pressure) around her and Cyclops at the very least. Because, again, explosive decompression isn't her idea of a good time. Just like radiation poisoning. (Which could be a greater concern if/when the engines rupture, depending on what powers them.) Cyclops pauses a split second and the optic blast stops momentarily. Jean may be able to sense the answer, but he turns his head towards her. "My father is in the brig. That's where we're going." And there you have your answer, Nightcrawler. Jean relays the message swiftly, so the blue bamfer knows what the gameplan is... Kurt shifts to the side the moment Look out! is yelled. It's a move borne of training. Never, ever stay still, and even now, he doesn't. A leap up to the ceiling happens, and the moment he's up, he's gone in a *bamf*, only to attempt to reappear behind the wielder of the whip. "I don't like to hit girls," comes almost apologetically, "But you may be one of the first.." and his sword comes out, held by the tail, aiming for her forearm with some force behind it. At the same time, Kurt's spinning around to take her legs out from under her to bring her to the ground. "Ja.." Kurt murmurs. "I will be there." BOOM!! One of the huge engines explodes in a wash of concussive force and heat, Cyclops' optic blast taking out consoles and related machinery but other similar engine structures were behind some of the blast doors that closed. No guards really, but lots of SAFEguards. Which were mostly designed to protect the engines from the other engines blowing. The purple-skinned mohawk guy follows after Piotr's flight to continue with the beating, heedless of the mess he's making of the bridge. As the console is ripped free and starts to move, the blue-skinned telepath is stepping backwards. Like she knew it was coming. A swing and a miss. Her eyes flare brighter and Nate feels the woman start to crack his shields, firing off the pain centers of his mind while rooting around. "It's a trick. They're here for the prisoners!" Alarms had already started going off, but now there's the calls in the background for the rest of the Imperial Guard to head to the brig. Speaking of the brig, Kurt thrusts for the red-skined woman's arm, but the electrical whip *coils back on itself* to wrap around the blade and twist it aside enuogh to keep from getting cut, but he manages to trip her up enough that she rolls away. She's obviously had extensive training herself. Deathbird's voice comes across that mental link. "It's getting hot out here!" Cyclops gives another glance to Jean before he gets back to trying to get as many and as much engine destruction as he can. Though he might not destroy the entire capability of the ship, he'll at least slow it down. And slowing it down might be all the Starjammer might need. "Come on, Nightcrawler. It's gettin' to be about that time..." Nate growls when the telepath dodges his attack, and she is getting through his shields? Damn. Pain is an old friend, though, he can deal with it better than most people. He steps forward, trying to get a good look to the woman, and shifting the focus of psychic energy fully to telepathy. It leaves him physically vulnerable, but given the chaos caused by Colossus fight, he figures the crew must be looking for cover, which maybe is what he should be doing. Instead he launches his own telepathic attack on the alien woman, the psychic energy so intense it can almost be seen, and certainly felt, by all other minds in the bridge. "Nyet, it is a diversion." Colossus tells the woman as he rips a console free of its supports and throws it at the purple guy. << We need help on the bridge. We can not fight them and destroy the consoles as well. >> At least not easily or quickly. "I think we need to start moving," Jean suggests to Cyclops, as one of the engines explodes around them. Her aura grows brighter as she reinforces that TK shield and manipulates its granularity on a microscopic level, only letting in what is helpful, and keeping out that which is not. Scott's beams pass through it easily, however. Not so much the explosions beyond. <> she sends to Piotr. <> "Cyke, I'm going to help the boys. You help your father." He can argue with her about that later, because that's the exact instruction she sends to Kurt: Get her to the bridge, and Scott to the brig... Kurt isn't in the same place he was after making the trip. He's always on the move, and he pushes off on the sweep to leap to the wall, in one push, and onto the ceiling in another. He's there for only a brief second, however, before-- Ow.. Okay, that hurt.. so not fair! *bamf* Kurt's out of the brig, and back to the engine room, careful to keep within the teek bubble, as advised, shaking his head to clear the twinge of pain. "There is a lady with a whip," and he pauses a moment, a grin creasing his face through the strain that he can feel one of the psychics is under. "If I had more time, it would be fun to see what she can do. Unfortunately?" Piratey shoulders rise, and he raises his sword-armed tail, "All aboard for the bridge, und next stop.. the brig." *bamf* *bamf* Nate has certainly found someone that can make him work. He might be one of the premiere telepaths of Earth, but she's the premiere telepath of the vast Shi'ar empire. As he focuses his energies on her he's able to push back the pain as the pair of them get into a bit of a standoff as things blow up and crash around them. In an eerie mirror, Colossus and the purple-skinned one slam into each other of physical conflict on par with the mental battle going on. Kurt teleports Jean and Scott off amidst more explosions. More Shi'ar guards have joined the woman with a whip and they open fire as Nightcrawler and Cyclops reappear. What was the chapter of the Hobbit? Out of the frying pan and into the fire? Cyclops dives headlong out of the way from the oncoming attack as one of the shots zips past his ear. He can't help but feel, that somehow, somewhere, someway, everything might have been a bit better had they gone in as one group given that they were unfamiliar with the terrain and the enemy. He pulls himself up off the floor and begins firing back, using wide arcs designed to incapacitate and not kill. Nate is not really good at telepathic combat, he is just very strong. But he has always favored his telekinesis over his telepathy. Now that is going to make him lose the battle, he is expending energy too quickly. Unless he can get to the alien woman and make the fight a physical one. The young man is bleeding from nose and ears, but he pushes forward, trying to reach her. He just needs a good shot. Grappling usually doesn't accomplish much but in this case, it's exactly what Colossus wants. Keeping a strong hold on the purple guy, something he's quite good at, he tries to cause as much damage as possible to the bridge by using their combined mass to crush them as they fight. Side benefit, keeping hold of the alien's arms means he's not being punched. Jean, on the other hand, is very good at telepathic conflict. She arrives on the bridge with a *BAMF* from the trusty Nightcrawler, who's away less than a heartbeat later. Her psionic aura flares and, as with the engineers below, she sends the not-so-meta bridge crew into an unconscious stupor, before she uproots their consoles and throws them at the purple-skinned behemoth fighting Colossus. Then, solidifying her TK shield around her, she turns her attention on to Nate and the woman he battles. Her mind forms a screaming raptor of a battering ram, designed to pierce the woman's shields where her battle with Nate has rendered them weakest, reflecting the pain the alien sends at him right back at her... thereby juxtaposing herself between the futureboy and his attacker. Kurt is back on the ceiling, and as the shots come in, he's teleporting in and out, leaving a trail of acrid brimstone behind him, clouding up the room. It's a trick he's used to great effect against Logan, and it does make it harder to see him, to get a bead on him. "Ja.. I am working on it.." Calling out now, Kurt teleports into the brig from when he'd heard a shouted warning. "Going home.." and he grabs a woman by the ankle, and, should the cells be *bamf* accessible, he goes to the next cell with a *bamf*, grabbing someone who vaguely looks like Scott before he's ready to go. "Back in a second!" With some of the engines blown and the bridge a mess, Deathbird has an easier time keeping the Starjammer in one piece and close enough for Nightcrawler to teleport to. Cyclops works on knocking down the guards even as he sees more behind them. Vents open above and there is a HISSS as green vapor starts to be pumped into the room. Kurt grabs Corsair and is gone. In the brief moment he's on the Starjammer before heading back it's a good thing that he's so agile as the starship is pulling some hard G's as explosions make it shudder. Claxons are blaring and sparks snapcracklefly. On the bridge the purple skinned behemoth is slammed through a bulkhead and into another room, away from Colossus as Jean's consoles smash into him and then she joins her 'son'. The combined might of the two has the Shi'ar's telepath pulling back, eyes going wide as she puts all of her strength into defending. Cyclops continues to send optic blasts out towards the enemy, keeping his power 'on' to both attack them and help shield himself from attack. He has no way of knowing how many of Deathbird's crew are still in need of rescuing, making his desire to turn tail and run abate. <> Nate knows Jean is coming, but really. His not-mom is fighting his battles for him, that is lame! Illyana would never let him live it down. Good thing she is not here. And since Jean has forced the alien woman to the defensive, he directs some energy to a mild TK blast, still enough to knock out most people. I don't recognize "nc". Hey. At least, Jean hasn't pulled a Molly Weasley on the Shi'ar's ass... And Nate's, for that matter. She, herself, doesn't really see him as her 'son', but rather as a team mate in need of support. It just so happens, however, that there are times the Phoenix's support might be classified as overkill. But, never mind. The point is: She's there. And she's helping, see? Look at the alien telepath retreat. However, she is leaving Nate to do the real finishing up with the woman, since she must keep at least partial awareness on the purple dude. If he does decide to shake himself off and try again, she'll be there to catch him and toss him back. Count on it. "I've actually got you--" comes over the communications, *bamf* :--on my list, mein freund," is finished in the room, from the wall as he adheres to the side. "You next, und.." Leaping from his spot in the next breath, Nightcrawler grabs Scott as he moves, only to reappear in the Starjammer. As physics actually still works through his teleporting, he continues through in a roll, and before the next beat of a heart comes, he's gone.. *bamf* Back to the brig to make short work of the pair that are left.. Cyclops can smell the acrid tang of gas, it burns his throat even as he works to get low enough to avoid breathing it. On the upside, the soldiers have pulled out and they even locked the blast doors! Nothing stops Nightcrawler from getting the rest of the Starjammer's crew out though. Scott's vision is starting to grey out when Kurt makes it back to him and after the wrench of teleportation.... Air. Blessed clear air scorches its way down his throat. "Hurry it up!" Deathbird yells. "They're bringing the secondary bridge online!" A ship that big, you knew they'd have a backup. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The Starjammer banks hard right as Corsair's managed to make his way to one of the consoles. "Shields are failing! Get us out of here, Deathbird!" The purple-feathered woman shakes her head. "We're still light passengers!" The blue-skinned telepath is far too busy with the psychic war going on to try to avoid Nate's TK attack and it slams into her, sending her sprawling and out cold amidst the mess of the bridge. Bodies lie everywhere, most unconscious, some bleeding. Electronics spark and spit as the huge alien starts to slowly rise. He tilts his head to the left. Snapcracklepop. He jerks it right. POP! Cyclops spits, even in the ship, to get some of that taste out of his mouth. As he sees his father take one of consoles, Cyclops stands near him, inspecting him almost. It sounds like him. Looks like him. It feels like him. And for a moment, the guy who never loses his cool, looses his cool. You can tell because he bites his lip for a moment as he watches his father in action. <> he thinks via the link once he's finally able to respond. <> Nate turns to face the purple-skinned alien. Given what he did to Colossus he figures a physical attack is not going to work very well, so telepathic one instead. Mohawk-man gave him time to form one with the whole head-tilting. "Yeah, was nice to meet you too," he comments with a smirk. Even if that doesn't work, Kurt is going to pull them out any second now. No need to tell Jean twice. As the purple dude rises, in concert with Nate, she scoops him up and throws him against away, hitting him with a telepathic knock-out blast as well, just for good measure. << And stay down, >> she growls at the alien, before moving to be within arm's reach of both Nate and Piotr. She can read Kurt's mind. She knows his intention. And she can hear the rising urgency on the Starjammer bridge. <> Because Kurt will be there in 3... 2... 1... *BAMF* Kurt's working his tail off, really! The fuzzy blue teleporter doesn't stop when he's got the rest of the Starjammers crew. He's out before the acrid smoke can clear from his previous bamf, and he's off to the bridge of the ship.. more than a little concerned as to what he'll find when he gets there. "We are leaving the station! It'll be tight fit, but you should find enough room. Mind the gap." Teleporting three.. across space? That'll be fun! But, like he'd said before, if he begins to second guess himself, well.. it'll never happen. Time to go, time to push. These are his friends. *BAMF* As soon as the all-clear sounds everyone's aboard, Deathbird hits the afterburners. Hope everyone was strapped in as the starship leaps forward. The pinpoints of stars streams out into ribbons and the crew of the Starjammer finally has a chance to look at their rescuerers. Corsair turns to look at Cyclops, brow furrowed in a puzzled manner. It's not like he can even be sure if Scott's *human* in his costume. Nightcrawler and Colossus don't look terribly so at the moment. The older man offers his hand over to Scott though. "Boy, I don't know who you are but thanks. Name's Corsair." Category:Log